


Some mistakes get made

by GinnyLuna11



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Crushes, Cute, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Parswoops, Past Relationship(s), it's not a soulmate au but it really seems like it should be, swoops is a sweetheart, there's an asshole guy in this im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyLuna11/pseuds/GinnyLuna11
Summary: When Jeff- Kent’s liney, his best friend, his everything- starts talking about this guy from college who he’s reuniting with after their game tomorrow, Kent disintegrates on the inside. But of course, in typical Kent fashion, he bottles up his emotion and teases Jeff about it, even though everything hurts.
Relationships: Kent "Parse" Parson/Jeff "Swoops" Troy
Comments: 19
Kudos: 104





	Some mistakes get made

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I got this random idea for a fic not too long ago about Kent being jealous, and I just ran with it! I’m really excited to finally be sharing this with you guys and I hope y’all like it! (Also excuse any continuity mistakes, the large majority of this fic was written late on different nights as I was changing things up, so I apologize for any of those!)
> 
> The title comes from Moral of the Story by Ashe, which is a fantastic song and I recommend listening to it!! Esp. when Kent is really feeling his feelings bc it fits so well!! 
> 
> As always, all characters belong to the brilliant Ngozi!)

Kent Parson is hopelessly in love with his best friend. 

It’s not a question anymore. No, Kent had moved past that panic phase of realizing he was in love with Jeff Troy and into reluctant acceptance. 

Kent had been smitten with Jeff ever since he got moved up from the AHL to the Aces when Kent was a rookie. He hadn’t even heard of Jeff Troy before, but when he walked in to the locker room, all long legs and muscle and swoopy brown hair with those gorgeous eyes, Kent was absolutely gone. Seriously, 100% gone for Jeff. 

“Hey, you’re Kent Parson, right?” Jeff said to him on that monumental day.

“No, I’m his evil twin Pent Karson. Nice to meet you.” Kent stood and held out his hand with a signature smirk on his face and Jeff snorted. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Pent,” Jeff joked back. 

“Nice to meet you too Troy.”

And then time and sound and everything froze. 

It was one of those meetings where everything catches for a second and you know they’re going to be in your life forever. 

It was like Kent was frozen in place, looking up into Jeff’s eyes (yes, even though he was wearing his skates. This boy is tall) and holding his hand. 

And then sounds came back and Jeff pulled his eyes away from Kent to be introduced to the rest of the team. 

Kent sat back down in his stall hard and continued to put the rest of his gear on a daze. 

A full day of training camp and a few quick google searches later, Kent knew everything there was to know about Jeff Troy. That he wasn’t just an amazing hockey player- he was an amazing person. He volunteers at charities, teaches hockey to kids in the offseason. He was a PR dream. (Kent definitely wasn’t, especially after the Fourth of July incident a couple of months prior, in which he got unabashedly drunk to celebrate his 18th birthday and set off illegal fireworks.) 

Kent starting texting Jeff, then hanging out with Jeff, playing video games and ordering late-night pizza and watching trashy TV together and somewhere in there learning every little thing about each other. Jeff learned that there was a specific Britney Spears song for each mood Kent had and that Kent’s old shoulder injury hurt just a little whenever it rained, so Jeff always made sure to have an ice pack laying on the counter wherever they were, so Kent would have no choice but to use it. Kent learned that Jeff liked cinnamon on his popcorn during movie night, but only if it was a movie he was excited for and that his pre-game nap ritual usually consisted of half an episode of the Great British Baking Show, but only one he’d seen before. 

Eventually, it turned into Jeff coming out to Kent when he had only ever come out to his brother and the few guys he had hooked up with in juniors. 

And then Kent told Jeff about Jack. And came out to him. 

Kent had told more people than Jeff, like his mom and sister, but only ever hooked up with Jack. 

He told Jeff that he really wasn’t the playboy everyone made him out to be. And Jeff’s response?

“I know. You’re too sentimental to be a playboy.”

Kent just blinked at the response. They were laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, with Chopped on mute.

“What? How do you know I don’t like having crazy sex every weekend after going to the strip club with the boys? I flirt with fans and reporters all the time!” 

Jeff shrugged. “You spend all your nights with me.”

“And me? Kent Parson? Sentimental?!” Kent was growing indignant. Jeff had exposed him, and he wasn’t expecting it.

“Kent, when we watched Tangled last week you started crying.”

“She was his new dream though! Come on, Jeff!”

And so, just like that, Kent and Jeff were inseparable. They roomed together on roadies, sat next to each other in locker rooms, rode next to each other in cars and buses and planes. They even carpooled to the area together, because they were nothing if not environmentally conscious. 

By the time Kent went into a deep, dark spiral about potentially being in love with Jeff, eating dinners at each other’s houses had become completely normal (even though they were mostly at Kent’s house because he couldn’t bear to leave his princess at home).

It was just a normal quiet night at Kent’s place, with Kent sitting on the counter scrolling through Instagram while Jeff makes his Grandma’s homemade lasagna (Kent’s favorite). 

Jeff’s phone was sitting plugged in on the counter next to Kent and lit up when he got a text message from… David? 

The text said I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! And Kent felt like his throat was closing in on itself. He was frozen, staring down at the phone until the screen went dark.   
Someone else was in love with Jeff. David.

That wasn’t someone on the Aces or in Aces management or anyone in Jeff’s family. So naturally, Kent assumed that it was someone Jeff was in love with because Kent loves jumping to toxic conclusions.

“Someone texted you,” Kent said, trying to be nonchalant. 

“Alright, I’ll get it in a minute,” Jeff replied, focusing on layering the pasta and the sauce. Another thing Kent had learned about Jeff was that he was very picky with his Italian food. And also kind of a perfectionist. 

After the lasagna in the oven, Jeff casually (too casually if you asked Kent) picked up his phone and started scrolling through his notifications. 

A small smile grew on Jeff’s face, which was the one Kent thought he only had when he was around. The one that he gave Kent the other night when Kent had put Jeff’s favorite blanket on his spot on Kent’s couch when they were sitting down to watch another rerun episode of the Bachelor. That was Kent’s smile. And Jeff was… Jeff was giving it to someone else. 

Kent knew he felt jealousy. It was curling in the pit of his stomach, hot and sour. He really should tell Jeff he was in love with him, but… he just couldn’t. He couldn’t lose Jeff.

“So who is this David guy?” Kent asked instead as Jeff smiled that soft smile down at his phone again.

“Just a friend from college. He moved to Vegas last week for work and is coming to the game tomorrow.”

“Oh, just a friend from college?” Kent jumped off the counter and nudged his hip into Jeff’s. Or, rather, more like Jeff’s upper thigh. Sometimes, Jeff was way too tall for Kent to handle. 

The smile on Jeff’s face grew wider, and Kent couldn’t stand to look at his face anymore. It was too beautiful, meant for someone else. “Maybe a little bit more than a friend. But we aren’t… y’know. Anymore.”

Kent was torn between smiling at Jeff’s chivalrous and cute avoidance that he and this David guy hooked up and screaming his lungs out that Jeff had once been anyone else’s person. Who even was this David guy? Did he deserve Jeff? Probably not. Kent didn’t even think he deserved Jeff. No one did. Jeff was the kind of nice that held Kent when he was crying his eyes out after falling out with Jack, that squeezed his hand when he was feeling sad during a movie, that tapped Kent’s shins with his stick on the ice during warm-ups, which meant everything was going to be okay, no matter what happened, because Jeff was there and tapping his stick on Kent’s legs and squeezing his hand. 

“Well, good. I can’t have my center distracted by some hot piece of ass. Because we both know I’m hotter.” 

Jeff laughed while still looking at his phone, so Kent wasn’t sure if it was at his joke or something David said. 

What Kent really meant was that he couldn’t handle Jeff’s hand being held by someone else. Even though Jeff said they weren’t a thing anymore. Kent thinks he said that. Sort of. He didn’t really know. He was way too distracted by the pain of his heart ripping in two and the silence between them because Kent loved dramatics.

“What’s the ETA on the lasagna?” 

Jeff turned around to glance at the old-fashioned timer he had set. 

“30-ish minutes?” He said, looking directly at Kent with those wide brown eyes.

“Got it. I’ll, um. Go set up the couch, for movie night. Yeah.” Kent power-walked into the living room, getting away from those stupid Bambi eyes and still stirring over his newfound jealously.

(What Kent didn’t see was the look of worry and pure love Jeff gave his retreating back.)

———— 

It was a hard loss the next night. Two of their star defensemen had gotten injured last game, which meant everyone had to work extra hard, but ultimately, things just didn’t work out in their favor. 

It didn’t help that Kent’s heart and mind were in another place- that place being Jeff Troy and this college guy that was ‘just a friend.’ But Kent pushed that down as far as he could to try and rally his boys to a win, but when the one goal disadvantage turned to two goals late in the third, Kent knew it wasn’t going to happen. This wasn’t a crucial game or anything for them, Kent just always wanted to be his best, and he wasn’t. That was on him. 

So he was already feeling like shit when Scraps came in from a media interview in the hallway after Kent had gotten out of the showers and gotten dressed. He didn’t know if he was going to go home or go wallow in his sorrows with the boys, but he knew he wanted to get out of there as fast and as incognito as possible. Especially since Jeff wasn’t going to be accompanying him home or to the bar or wherever.

“Swoops, there’s someone outside for you. David, I think?” Scraps yelled across the locker room, his voice almost lost in the post-game noise.

Kent froze in place, his heart that had calmed down from the game suddenly going a mile a minute.

“Could you tell him I’ll be a minute? I gotta hop in the shower first,” Jeff said from next to him, still a sweaty mess.

“Yeah, sur-“

“I got it,” Kent interjected because he’s a masochist and really, really hates himself. Plus, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to check out his competition.

Jeff simply raised his eyebrows. 

“I’ll go talk to him while you shower. No problem.” 

“Kent-““He’s your friend! I want to meet him,” Kent said, lying and throwing one of his hoodies, putting his snapback on. “You’ll be like, five minutes max.” Kent grabbed his phone, his keys, and his bag with his pregame suit. “We’ll be fine.”

Jeff worriedly looked at him. “I mean if you’re sure-“

“Yeah, any friend of yours is a friend of mine. It’ll be fine,” Kent said, trying his hardest to be nonchalant. 

Jeff gave him a little smile that made Kent weak in the knees. 

“We’ll be waiting outside for you. Go shower already, you stink.” Kent punched Jeff lightly in the shoulder and Jeff gave him one last look. 

“He comes off a little harsh sometimes-“

“Go shower already!” 

After another long look at Kent, Jeff turned around and headed off to the showers, shaking his head. Kent watched him go out of the corner of his eye, taking a deep breath and heading outside.

The guy leaning against the wall across from him, who he assumed was David, was dressed like any other guy who’s ever played hockey- tight jeans, a hoodie, and… Jeff’s jersey. Maybe this was going to be harder than he thought.

David looked up from his phone to see Kent and immediately pulled him into a bro hug. “So you’re the infamous Kent Parson Jeff won’t shut up about!” David, Kent grudgingly admitted to himself, was a wet dream. Taller than he was, way more friendly, sparkling eyes. 

If Kent didn’t know Jeff was the one for him, he would definitely be pulling out the good old Kent Parson playboy charm right now. This guy would be back in his apartment within the hour. But instead, he looked very comfortable next to Jeff, almost like…. no. Kent absolutely did not want to go there. 

“So you played college hockey with Swoops?” Kent asked, readjusting the bag on his shoulder. 

“Yep, I was his captain for the two years he was with us, taught him everything he knows,” David said, smiling broadly at Kent. 

Kent awkwardly laughed. He’d seen Kent’s juniors highlights and highlights from college. The captain of Jeff’s college team… let’s just say Kent saw him blunder more than once.

Silence filled the space between the two of them before Kent spoke up again. “Are you guys coming out with everyone tonight? We’re gonna head over to the new bar on the strip we wanted to try out last week,” Kent said, sort of lying to David, who… looked smug? 

“Actually Jeff and I already made plans to go out to dinner tonight, but maybe we can celebrate next time if you guys win,” David said.

“What?” Kent asked, suddenly confused. 

“Yeah, you guys were sloppy out there tonight. Absolutely ridiculous. Our college hockey team would have whooped you guys’ asses back in the day.” 

Kent just blinked, incredulous. What was happening here? Jeff had just said he could come off harsh, but this was… different. It was like a critical sports analyst was insulting Kent to his face. (Which Kent didn’t need because he was hard enough on himself already.) “Well, two of our veteran defensemen were just injured, and-“

“Those are just excuses. I’ve been watching you guys play like shit all year. The only good person on your team is Swooper.” 

Everything out of David’s mouth made Kent more and more furious. And calling Jeff Swooper? That crossed a line.

“No one asked for a washed-up college hockey player’s opinion on the big leagues here.”“Well, I could have-“

“What? You could have done better? Are you in the NHL right now?” David just looked increasingly pissed off. “Didn’t think so. You’ve wasted enough of my time here.”

David's face was red and twisted up and he was just about to respond as Kent heard the door open and shut behind him. 

“Hey, guys! Sorry David, I had to shower, it’s good to see you man,” Jeff said to David, giving him a decidedly longer bro hug than David had given Kent. 

Kent felt like he was watching everything underwater. There was no way Jeff would ditch him for this guy… would he? 

But there was that creeping doubt again, the part of Kent’s brain that told him he was never good enough and would never be good enough for a saint like Jeff, who cooked him lasagna and took care of him and Kit when Kent had a concussion last season. He didn't deserve Jeff. 

“Parser? Kent!” Jeff said, sounding like he had said his name a few times.

Kent blinked out of his trance. “Yeah, what? Sorry guys zoned out for a minute there,” Kent said, laughing a little to try and make it seem like he wasn’t falling apart. Again. 

“I said we’re gonna get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow for practice?” There was a little hint of worry in Jeff’s features, but all Kent could see was David putting a hand on Jeff’s arm and 

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll see you tomorrow, Troy.” Kent turned away from them before Jeff could say goodbye and quickly took a back way to get to his car.

Fumbling with his keys, Kent hopped into his car, thankful he didn’t carpool with Jeff today, pulled up the hood on his hoodie, and drove away as quickly as he could. 

And if he blasted Britney on the ride home and shed a few tears at some stoplights, no one needed to know but him.

———— 

“He doesn’t love me, Kit,” Kent choked out to his cat, who was currently lounging on the sofa with a completely unimpressed look on her face. 

He had gotten home in record time, dropping his stuff at the door and immediately burrowing his head in Kit’s fur, much to her disdain.

“I guess it’s just you and me against the world, huh?” 

She finally meowed, slipping out of Kent’s grasp. He sighed loudly to his dark, empty house. Kent was all cried out, and exhausted from the game, so when he turned on hockey highlights from around the league that night, he was already asleep on the couch before they even talked about the Aces.

———— 

The next thing Kent knew, he was being carried upstairs in the arms of the man who he thought had just gone to dinner with another man.

“Jeff?” Kent mumbled into Jeff’s suit. “What time issit?”

“Bedtime for you,” Jeff replied. 

Kent’s still nap foggy brain couldn’t wrap itself around how Jeff was here and not still on a date with David or back in his hotel room. 

“What’re you doing here?” Kent questioned as Jeff laid him gently on his bed, taking a seat at the very end of it.

“David said you were going out, so I called Scraps and asked him if you were there, but he said you never showed up so I came here, to make sure you were okay,” Jeff explained like it was a no-brainer. “You left a little… abruptly. Weird.”

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, the only light coming from the moonlight shining through the window.

“You called me Troy,” Jeff said quietly, seeming so small in the moonlight.

“Okay.” Kent shrugged, looking at Jeff who was rubbing his fingers over the scar on his wrist he had gotten years ago, from a stray puck. Kent knew it was a nervous tick of his, because he definitely knew too much about Jeff Troy. 

“The only other time you called me Troy was when we first met,” Jeff said, voice wobbling. “I guess- it just-“

Kent waited patiently for Jeff to collect his thoughts, not even breathing. 

“David and I got into a little bit of a fight.” 

“What?”

“Yeah. He tried to kiss me in my car and I just… I couldn’t do it.”

“Why? I thought you liked him! He was touching your arm and everything!”“I don’t like him at all. He’s not y- I just don’t want to be with him again. I got this weird feeling when I tried to kiss me like…. It just all felt wrong. And then he told me you guys got into a little bit of a fight and it just-”

Jeff cut himself off and there was more silence, and Kent became very interested in his comforter. 

“He told me what he said to you.”

“Yeah, just like any other sports analyst. I’m terrible and the team sucks and I can’t do anything right. I’ve heard it all before, no big deal.”

“But you don’t actually believe it… do you?”

Kent looked up at Jeff, whose eyes were shining and so passionate that he had to look away.

“I’m a fuck up, so what? I’ve always been that way.”

“Kent, you’re not-“ 

“Maybe your boy David was right, your college team could have beaten us. He’s probably way better for you than I am anyway, he’s not completely screwed up like I am.”

“Kent-“ Jeff interrupted insistently, only to be cut off by Kent again.

“Jeff, I’m probably the worst captain in the league because I’m just full of excuses and I fuck up every relationship I’ve been in because I can’t-“

“Jesus Christ, Kent! I love you!” Jeff explodes. 

Kent’s heart nearly beats all the way out of his chest. He was so frustrated and angry at himself and now? Now he’s frozen in time. Kent’s eyes grow wide. “Wha-“

“Would you just let me talk for a second!” Jeff says insistently, before pausing and rubbing his scar again. He speaks again, but softer.

“You never saw it because you’re so infuriatingly self-deprecating. You never think you’re worth something or deserve anything and you are,” Jeff looks up at Kent. “You’re worth everything to your mom and your sister and- and to me.” 

Kent reaches out to grab Jeff’s hand and stop him from rubbing his scar anymore. Jeff continues hoarsely. “We’re all a little fucked up Kent. You don’t think that me not telling my parents I’m gay when I’m pretty sure you’re the one I’m going to spend the rest of my life with isn’t fucked up? Or sneaking away on roadie after roadie with guys in juniors because I had this crush on you I wanted to forget about because you didn’t even know I existed isn’t just a little fucked up?” 

He squeezes Kent’s hand. “Ever since we met right before your rookie season I knew that there wasn’t going to be anyone else for me but you.”

Kent can’t move. Kent can’t speak. He’s forgotten what words are entirely and his body is on fire and is it hot in here because Kent’s sweating like a pig and- 

Jeff is looking anywhere but Kent’s face. His eyes are darting around the room and his 6’4” stature has shrunk in on itself looking so, so small and all Kent wants to do is hug him. Jeff let his head hang, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“If you don’t-“

Kent quickly cut Jeff off by sliding off the bed and standing in front of Jeff, tilting his head up to meet his eyes. 

Tears were just beginning to form in Jeff’s eyes and his face was getting extremely red like it always did right before he cried. What could he say? Kent knew his Jeff. 

“Jeff.” 

Kent’s voice cracked on his name. No, absolutely not. Kent would not cry over this because he was Kent Parson for fuck’s sake. He’d already cried enough tonight, he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t- 

Jeff wiped a tear off his cheek. 

“It’s okay. If you don’t- I mean, I get it. It’s fine, I just couldn’t-“

“I love you too.” 

Jeff stared wide-eyed at Kent like he had just grown a third head or something. 

“Kent…”

“I love you and your stupid Canadian accent a-and… you just get me, Jeff. You get me like no one else ever has and I know I can't open up very well with my emotions but I just- I love you.” Jeff was still staring at Kent, disbelief still on his face. So, Kent did what he does best and made a joke out of it. “Maybe I don’t love you as much as I love Kit or Britney Spears, but-“

Jeff pulled Kent down into his lap and kissed him, fiercely, finally, breaking apart after a moment and breathing a little sigh of relief. 

“I’ve been waiting to do this for so long, Kent.” 

Kent smiled at him and ran a hand through that swoopy hair. “Me too.”

Jeff kissed him again, long and slow and sweet, just like everything Kent imagined kissing Jeff would be. 

Kent broke away this time. “So that David guy’s a dick.”

Jeff laughed and buried his head into Kent’s shoulder. “He totally is, but I didn’t think he was actually going to say any of that shit to you.” 

“Well the next time I see him I’d like to punch his lights out, especially for trying to kiss you.”

“And I’ll introduce him to my boyfriend. And then tell him to go fuck himself.”

Kent and Jeff grin at each other for a second, before bursting into giggles and laying back on the bed. Kent kept giggling as Jeff pushed some of the hair out of Kent's face, and in that moment, as Jeff Troy leaned in to kiss him again, Kent knew that neither of them was anywhere near perfect, but they had each other, and that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my GOD I love Kent getting some love!!!! And Jeff!! Is!! The!!! MVP!!!! Kent just needs to BELIVE in himself!!! Ugh, this was so much fun to write. Thanks for reading!


End file.
